A runner reportedly spotted the serpentine fish floundering in the waters off Malibu on Sunday. Shortly after, the fish died and washed ashore.
7-year-old Emmet Wasserman was in Malibu that day and took pictures of the fish.
He says he knew exactly what it was because he learned all about oarfish in school.
"I said, it's an oarfish and everyone was like, what?" Apparently, some adults who were also examining the fish thought it was an eel but Emmet was strong in his conviction and said, "all the facts... I said about it were right."
Biologists back up Emmet's claim and identified the fish as an oarfish that is typically found at depths of 700 to 3,000 feet in tropical waters.
The California Wildlife Center took tissue samples before giving it to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum on Tuesday.
Museum reps say the fish will be stored in a freezer as it awaits testing.
There are three other oarfish currently at the museum and researchers say they're looking forward to studying the creature because it's poorly understood scientifically.
What scientists do know is that the oarfish is the longest bony fish in the ocean and can grow to more than 30 feet in length.
Since this fish is only 12-feet long -- relatively short -- scientists believe it's a juvenile.
12-foot Oarfish washed ashore in Malibu (LOS ANGELES TIMES / December 2, 2010)
Researchers at the museum will examine what it ate for its last meal and how and why it died.
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